Question

    Millions of Americans sit behind a computer screen, chained to their desk all day because the vast majority of stable, high-paying professions are “office jobs”. However, having a successful career does not require you to sit behind a desk and plug away at a computer all day.

In fact, there are a large number of non-desk jobs in a variety of industries that are growing and offering workers a direct path to the middle class, according to a new analysis of labor market information from CareerBuilder. While most of the highest-paying non-desk jobs are medical professions that require a doctoral or professional degree, there are 170 non-desk professions that pay $15 per hour or more, do not require a bachelors degree for a typical entry-level position, and have seen at least 6 percent job growth over the last four years.

The US workforce has gradually changed to office-based work because of the rise of the professional service economy and productivity gains associated with information technology,” Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources Officer at CareerBuilder, said in a statement.

But some of the healthiest areas of job growth year after year are in middle-skill professions that don’t require workers to sit in front of computer monitors and phones for 40 hours a week.”

Here are the top-paying jobs that don’t require you to work at a desk in various kinds — none of which require a four-year college degree — and their hourly salary and growth rate since 2010: professional assistants : $26.57, 14 percent; elevator repairers: $37.81, 6 percent; mechanical engineering technicians: $25.19, 10 percent; and electromechanical technicians: $24.68, 8 percent.

While they tend to pay less than traditional office jobs, non-desk professions provide a variety of benefits. Haefner points to a 2014 CareerBuilder survey that discovered workers who don’t work at a desk all day are less likely to complain about their work environment and less likely to report being overweight.

1.What does the underlined phrase “plug away” in the first paragraph probably mean?

A.Turn off a switch. B.Look for a job.

C.Keep on working. D.Give up working.

2.What conclusion can we draw from the second paragraph?

A.A non-desk job may provide you with a middle-class life.

B.The last four years has seen an increase in desk jobs.

C.The college degree is the ticket to a position.

D.A non-desk job cannot offer you a secure life.

3.What is the key reason for the US workforce to change to office-based work?

A.High salary. B.Medicine.

C.Information technology. D.Work environment.

4.The writer attempts to tell us that _________.

A.“office jobs” are appealing to the middle class

B.non-desk jobs are a good choice for us

C.office jobs” are secure and high-paying

D.non-desk professions are better than office jobs

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.C

4.B

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。介绍了有一个成功的职业生涯并不需要你必须在桌子后面，整天看着电脑。在各种行业中，有大量的非办公室工作正在增长，为工人提供了通往中产阶级的直接途径。

1.词义猜测题。画线词前面：“However, having a successful career does not require you to sit behind a desk……”，然而，拥有一份成功的职业并不需要你整天坐在桌子后面埋头苦干，并列连词后是画线词，所以画线词的词义是与坐在桌子后面相对应的，4个选项中C切题，故选C。

2.推理判断题。第二段：“In fact, there are a large number of non-desk jobs in a variety of industries that are growing and offering workers a direct path to the middle class,……”，讲到：事实上各行各业都有大量的非办公室工作，这些工作正在增长，为工人们提供了一条通往中产阶级的道路。所以，从第二段中能得出的结论就是非办公室工作可以能提供给你中产阶级的生活，故选A。

3.细节理解题。第三段：“The US workforce has gradually changed to office-based work because of the rise of the professional service economy and productivity gains associated with information technology,”， 借Rosemary Haefner之口说出由于专业服务经济的崛起和与信息技术相关的生产率提高，美国劳动力已逐渐转向办公室工作。因此美国劳动力转向办公室工作的原因是信息技术，故选C。

4.推理判断题。最后一段：“While they tend to pay less than traditional office jobs, non-desk professions provide a variety of benefits. Haefner points to a 2014 CareerBuilder survey that discovered workers who don’t work at a desk all day are less likely to complain about their work environment and less likely to report being overweight.”，作者讨论了非办公室工作也会提供给人们很多好处，比如：对工作环境抱怨更少，更不容易体重超重，所以这是作者想要告诉读者的：非办公室工作不失为一个好的选择。故选B。